Israel: ‘Iran did close Strait of Hormuz for five hours’

This week the hot news were how the US military threat had forced Iran to postpone the test firing of its missile during the recent military drill to prove that it can block the Strait of Hormuz – and that Iran offered to resume talks between Tehran and the five permanent members of the UNSC and Germany (P5+1).

However, Israeli DEBKAfile, which is linked to Israel military establishment, reported on December 31, 2011 that Iran did prove its point by closing the Strait of Hormuz for five hours without firing a single missile.

“By a media trick, Tehran proved its claim that closing the Strait of Hormuz is “as easy as drinking water”. First thing Saturday morning, Saturday, Dec. 31, Iran’s state agencies “reported” long-range and other missiles had been test-fired as part of its ongoing naval drill around the Strait of Hormuz. Ahead of the test, Tehran closed its territorial waters. For five hours Saturday, not a single warship, merchant vessel or oil tanker ventured into the 30-mile wide Hormuz strait, waiting to hear from Tehran’ that the test was over,” reported DEBKAfile.

According to the Israeli source, the Hormuz missile stratagem was a clear message to the Gulf rulers and the US bases on their soil that they would not escape missile retaliation for a possible US or Israel attack on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities.

Islamic Republic has always considered the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf as its first line of defense. Close to 40% of world’s oil shipment passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We will respond to any threat by intensified threat and this fact has no time or geographical limitation,” Brigadier General Hossain Salami, commander of IRGC told reporters on Sunday.

In response to the US threats against closing the Strait of Hormuz, Salami said on Thursday: “The US is not in a position to affect Iran’s decisions. Iran does not ask permission to implement its own defensive strategies“.